China is dealing with its most widespread Covid outbreak since the country’s first wave – and high-ranking officials are being punished as a result
In the eastern city of Yangzhou, five warnings were issued to individuals who mishandled mass testing, with Beijing alleging this allowed the virus to continue spreading.
Nationwide, 30 officials including majors, local health directors, and heads of hospitals have been punished for negligence and the mishandling of outbreaks.
The city of Nanjing is where cases are skyrocketing the most – with 308 new infections recorded on Monday and six individuals in a critical condition.
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on May 14, 2020. – Nervous residents of China’s pandemic epicentre of Wuhan queued up across the city to be tested for the coronavirus on May 14 after a new cluster of cases sparked a mass screening campaign. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT
If any of the critically ill are to die – it would be China’s first Covid-related death in more than six months
Despite most of the country’s residents being fully vaccinated, authorities are pushing ahead with their mass testing and isolation strategy – instead of relying on vaccines to stamp the virus out.
Over the weekend, the entire city of Wuhan was tested – with nine locally acquired infections discovered from more than 11 million swabs.